Typically, when a person is injured and becomes a casualty in a contaminated environment, such as occurs in a chemical warfare confrontation, the casualty is taken to a decontamination site where he is decontaminated, and thereafter transferred to a medical treatment facility. In many cases, it is imperative that medical treatment be given to the casualty immediately.
However, in order to administer treatment, the casualty must first be isolated and transported into an enclosure within which medical personnel may work on the casualty or additional means must be provided for allowing access to the casualty without introducing contaminants into the enclosure containing the casualty. In this regard, it is desirable to isolate the patient from the environment when the environment-contains substances which may be detrimental to the medical patient. For example, if the patient has suffered severe blood loss or is experiencing difficulty breathing, then it is desirable to prevent the patient from breathing dust, engine exhaust, smoke, etc. It is also desirable to isolate the medical patient from the environment when bacteriological, chemical and/or radiological hazards are present, as may occur during battlefield conditions.
In addition, it would be advantageous if such isolated environment were caused to facilitate the removal of such toxic and infectious residues that may be present on the clothing and/or skin of such isolated medical patient to thus enable the patient to become further stabilized during transit to a suitable medical facility. Ideally, the isolated medical patient would be contained within an environment that is provided with air that is constantly circulated, decontaminated and refreshed such that such toxic and infectious residues are rapidly removed from the isolated medical patient's containment area.
Alternatively, it is desirable to isolate the caregivers from the medical patient in instances where the medical patient is suspected of having a contagious disease, or has been exposed to bacteriological, chemical or radiological contamination. As such, it is desirable to provide means for isolating the patient from the environment and caregivers, as well as isolating the caregivers from the patient.
Unfortunately, prior art apparatuses currently available for isolating and treating the casualty in the field are generally ineffective in providing an environment conducive to the administration of medical treatment, and can thus cause treatment to be delayed until the casualty is transported to an adequate medical facility, which is frequently not readily accessible. Such prior art apparatuses are further generally deficient in providing an environment where the casualty is protected from contaminants, and provided with refreshed, decontaminated air that actually facilitates the removal of contaminants already present on the skin and/or clothes of the casualty, in addition to providing trauma casualty treatment.
As such, there is a need in the art for an isolation system within which a medical patient is placed at the battlefield and within which the medical patient remains isolated until a suitable medical facility can be accessed. It is further desirable to provide an isolation system that can protect a medical patient contained therewithin from an contaminated external environment such that the condition of such patient is not made worse by the ingress of poisonous substances resulting from chemical and/or biological attack, as well as other harsh and extreme weather conditions arising from rain, wind, dust, hot, cold, wet and dry climatic conditions. There is still further a need for an isolation system that is capable of delivering a constant supply of air to a patient contained therewithin wherein such air is constantly circulated, decontaminated, refreshed, and selectively attemporated, that is further capable of delivering such air in a manner that facilitates rapid removal of toxic and infectious residues present upon the patient, and subsequently filters and decontaminates the same. There is additionally a need for a medical patient isolation system that is specifically designed and configured to function integrally with conventional litters and certain life support systems utilized therewith, most notable of the latter being the Life Support for Trauma And Transport device developed by Northrop Grumman Corporation and disclosed and claimed in co-pending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 08/687,693.